Feature

The Grand Delay

Having reached the cliff, Congress and the administration will find clever new ways to put disaster on hold.

As they reach the very edge of the cliff and peer down, Washington's policy makers will buckle down to do what they do best: procrastinate.

Yes, they have to do something, and they will. Look for Congress to immediately restore some of the George Bush tax cuts, which expire at midnight on Dec. 31, but to delay the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts that are to begin taking effect on Jan. 2, even if this legerdemain causes...